Lee Kuan Yew - the founding father of modern Singapore
Lee Kuan Yew was appointed as the first prime minister of Singapore in 1959 when the nation became a self-governing state. At that time, Singapore per capita income was only about USD 400. When Lee stepped down in 1990, the gure was USD11,000 and in 2014 it went up to over 56,000, even higher than that of its former colonizer, Great Britain. In his memoirs published in 2000, he wrote ‛They laughed at us, but I was confident that we would have the last laugh.'
Born into a middle-class Chinese family in Singapore, Lee was influenced by the language and institutions of the British rulers. He was destined to go to the UK to study law, but the Second World War broke out and he had to go to the local Raffles College where he learnt some economics. It was not until 1946 when he talked his way to Cambridge and graduated three years later with a starred first. It was during this time that he nurtured ambitions beyond starting a legal career back home.
As a prime minister, he has always been described as an efficient and inventive person. He was one of the greatest statesmen who proved to the whole world that human ingenuity, not natural resources, is the essential element of prosperity. Lee is also believed to be very forward-looking. When Singapore gained independence in 1965, he decided to keep English as the main language to increase economic benefits. Although many of his policies are still considered controversial, they helped Singapore to overcome many obstacles and become one of the most admired international business and financial centres around the world.